There are numerous devices, apparatuses,and machines which are either elastically supported or parts and units thereof are connected with eachother by an elastic connection or linkage. Exemplary, such connections have become known under the name "rubber metal springs" or "ruber metal elements". With such apparatuses, machines, and devices there is often a desire for information about the condition and/or the operating states; for this purpose the determination of forces and/or moments acting upon the apparatuses, machines, and devices would be of advantage.
For example, the characteristics of a moving automotive vehicle are considerably influenced by the condition of the vehicle, the load and the forces acting upon the vehicle during movement. For known vehicles it has been tried, in time-consuming and cumbersome investigations during the developement period to find a compromise permitting acceptable driving characteristics for as many different situations as possible. Furthermore, it has become known to manually adjust the spring suspension of the vehicle dependent on a large or small load.
Furthermore, it has become known in connection with the use of telescopic air supports to provide a load-dependent electronic height regulation which regulates the clearance of the carbody above ground and maintains it in the horizontal position. For this purpose, an optical or inductive height sensor is secured to a spring support which sensor is connected to an electronic regulating circuitry which may be set onto one of several different positions. However, the known arrangement has only the purpose that the car body is adjusted to one of several selected clearances in a static state, i.e. when the vehicle is in rest.
However, during movement of the vehicle quite different situations exist depending on the velocity, the acceleration, deceleration, street condition and strength and direction of the wind. These different situations were taken into account insufficiently when designing the vehicle. The todays efforts to keep the c.sub.w value as low as possible, are an illusion when the car body, optimised for a horizontal position, inclines in forward or rearward direction in view of the forces (load-acceleration etc.) acting onto the vehicle.
Also, the steering geometry once selected and implemented, as well as the setting of the toe-in and the like have an optimum for a single situation only though in view of the centrifugal forces in bends and in view of side wind there may exist quite different situations.
The European Patent Application Publication No. 0162 604 discloses a dump truck which for determining the load weight is supported in a lowered position on force measuring cells. By evaluating pressure peaks the road condition and the tire condition may be determined during truck movement.
The European Patent Application Publication No. 151 421 relates to a motor car having two piezo-electric plates inserted as a vibration sensor into the suspension. Dependent on vibrations according to the street condition the suspension is set to "hard", "soft" or "medium".
The German Patent Application Publication No. 35 02 337 relates to a vehicle spring suspension; the fluid spring chambers supply and drain valves are controlled, dependent on a change in direction, by means of the angular velocity of the steering wheel and the vehicle speed.
The German Patent Specification No. 1902944 discloses an automotive vehicle preventing swerfing by controlling the break system, the accelerator and the wheel alignment (camber, spreading, spring hardness) by comparison with boundary values and using swivels, lateral acceleration and speed sensors.
The German Patent Application Publication No. 20 09 489 indicates how with a motor car movements or force changes of the chassis or the car body may be compensated by means of measuring elements and control devices.
According to the German Patent Application Publication No. 33 00 640 an additional steering is accomplished with an automotive vehicle dependent on control parameters as speed and lateral acceleration.
According to the German Patent Application Publication No. 30 13 114 the relative position of the car body of an automotive vehicle is determined relative to several vehicle axles by means of axle sensors and pressure sensitive pressure signal devices, namely a manometer.
According to the German Patent Specification No. 26 36 899 overloading of an automotive vehicle is indicated by means of loaddependent threshold switches.
According to the U.S. Pat. No. 3,035,853 the suspension of the car body at the chassis is stabilized by means of force measuring cells connected to the hydraulic cylinders of the suspension.
According to the German Patent Application Publication No. 32 36 080 a torque strain gauge is used for determining the torque acting at the steering shaft and for controlling the servo-sterring system.
The U.K. Patent Application Publication No. 20 79 701 shows an automotive vehicle having a slant compensation using a pendulum.
The German Patent Application Publication No. 30 16 338 dissloses a piezo-electric measuring cell mounted in a tire of an automotive vehicle using wireless transmission of the measuring values to a control device and for indicating the tire condition
As far as sensors are provided in known automotive vehicles they are discrete elements which are separately mounted at appropriate positions of the vehicle by means of fixing devices for suitably securing them. Such designs are space and cost consuming.
Though the determination and use of measuring values for determining the condition and the operating state have been explained by referring to an automotive vehicle, a similar situation exists with many other apparatuses, machines and devices as stationary combustion machines, electric machines, tooling machines, construction machines, cranes and thelike.